100 Paper Dragons
by Snodin
Summary: Based on the new GX manga One day, at a time when he was still young and innocent, Manjyome Jun decided to draw dragons... Lots of dragons.


DISCLAIMERS:

"Yu-Gi-Oh: GX" is owned by Kazuki Takahashi

"Yu-Gi-Oh!" the TCG is owned by Konami

Original characters: Jun Manjyome (Chazz Princeton), Chosaku Manjyome (Slade Princeton), and Shoji Manjyome (Jagger Princeton)

Fan-made characters: Sam, Grandmother Manjyome (Their involvement in this story may contradict the original creator's own intentions for the series.)

This story is based on both the anime and the "Yu-Gi-Oh: GX" manga that was released earlier this year in Japan. "Light and Darkness Dragon" is seen exclusively in the GX manga. For more information, check Janime online.

**100 PAPER DRAGONS**

by Snodin

He loved dragons. He always loved them, ever since he was a small child growing up in that huge, imperialistic mansion his family had owned for generations. As a boy, he would have dreams of magnificent flying creatures soaring over his bed, beckoning him to ride on their backs and escape the dark, cold castle and go out into the world, free like the wind.

But that was Jun Manjyome's problem: to his family, he was no more than a mere dreamer. A dreamer without ambition- and ambition was what the Manjyome clan's power was built on.

His parents were hardly ever around; his father was an advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan, and his mother traveled abroad to promote her latest designs in computer hardware.

His brothers, then teenagers, were always at their private schools to learn about politics and finances, which would of course serve them well in their adulthood. For even in their youth, Chosaku and Shoji's dreams were already set in stone: they were out to conquer the world, but more importantly, out to ensure that the Manjyome clan's wealth would never end.

His grandmother, a retired fashion designer, would be head of the household while her son and daughter-in-law were away on business, which they were quite often. This elderly woman, always dressed in the most elegant gowns (which she herself designed), would act as surrogate mother for the boy.

And then, there was the boy. Jun- the youngest child, whose wild black hair would remain untamed for the whole of his life, and whose eyes were dark and yet radiant with innocence.

He had no dreams of becoming a president, or an entrepreneur, or a lawyer, or even an athlete out to snatch a few Olympic gold medals. No… his only dreams were that of dragons. Fantasy creatures. Such a fantasy felt petty to the boy's surrogate mother; should he even say the word "dragon" to her, she would shrug it off as if it meant nothing. She couldn't possibly understand the boy.

But lucky for him, someone did understand: his surrogate father.

For you see, the Manjyome's were so full of fortune, that they had at least two servants for every room, and each member of the household had up to five personal servants that would wait on them hand and foot. But because Jun was so young and so small, he had only one servant to himself.

His name was Sam. He was an elderly gentleman; always standing tall yet his age betrayed his once handsome face. He was grey, wrinkling, balding, and needed seeing-eye glasses for his vision had began to fail him. Furthermore, he was of a foreign land: England. He spoke with a gentle voice with a strong accent that would sometimes make his young charge giggle. It would be this man of gentle yet subordinate nature that would tend to young Jun's every need, just as a parent should have.

No one in that entire mansion understood Jun the way Sam did.

Then it happened, when Jun was only six years old, the phenomenon known as "Duel Monsters" started to sweep across Japan, and ultimately the world. It was a fantasy game played with cards; the very idea of "summoning monsters" and "casting spells" was enough to open up Jun's imagination. He knew he had to be a part of it. He just had to.

But every time he asked his grandmother for Duel Monster cards, she would reply with questions.

"Gra'ma, can I _please _go out and buy some Duel Monster cards?"

"What would you want with a silly card game, my boy? All it does is fill your heard with silly dreams."

"But that's why I like it, gra'ma."

"And why, Jun? Why do you like it? Is it more important than your studies?"

"…Uh… W-well… I guess not."

"See here my dear boy, nothing is more important than staying in school and learning how to become a real man. Your brothers already understand this. Why can't you?"

Such a question like that would stun the child; he felt like he was letting his whole family down.

"…I'm sorry, gra'ma." He bowed his head apologetically, and that would usually be the end of their conversation. The world of Duel Monsters would have to wait.

But what Grandmother Manjyome did not understand was that the child was just that: a child. He deserved to have his dreams, no matter how silly they were. Sam knew this. One evening, unbeknownst to them, he overheard such a conversation between Jun and his grandmother, and deep down the gentle-spirited butler was outraged.

But he would not dare confront the old woman; he understood all too well that he was a mere servant, and she ruled her household like a queen. Her word was law, and therefore all insubordination would come with a final paycheck and a boot out the door.

But he had his loyalties to Jun, so there was only one way he could make things right. He would have to be sneaky.

That next morning, Sam came into Jun's room and gave him an early birthday present. It was a book, but no ordinary book. It was a Duel Monsters introductory book; each page contained illustrations of dragons, magicians, warriors, and much, much more. The basic rules to the game, a list of monster effects… it was all there.

Jun's eyes widened as he skimmed through the pages; for him, it was like reading the Holy Bible for the first time, introducing him to a whole new world- a whole new way of life.

"Oh, thank you, Sam!" cheered the wide-eyed boy. "It's the best not-my-birthday-yet present ever!" Then the boy gave his surrogate father a warm, sincere hug.

The old man just smiled back. "I'm glad you like it, young sir."

The boy flipped through the pages vigorously, on the hunt for the creatures he admired most. Then, page after page, he pointed them out.

"Look, over here! A 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon.' 'Rumored to be the most powerful monster of all.' Cool! …And over here, 'Tyrant Dragon!' And- wow, look at that one! Pointing to a Red-Eyes Black Dragon"

"Yes, sir," nodded Sam with his signature warm smile. "They're all fascinating, aren't they?"

Then a stroke of genius hit the boy like a bolt of lightning. "I'm gonna draw each and every one of these dragons!"

"All of them, sir?"

"Yes, all of them. And I'm gonna start with the Blue-Eyes. I'm gonna put these pictures all over the walls of my bedroom, so people could come in and see them and go, 'Wow, look at Jun's dragons!' …Wouldn't that be neat, Sam?"

"Yes sir," nodded the butler. "It would be 'neat' indeed."

Sam's encouragement alone was enough to get Jun started right away. The boy grabbed the first pencil and piece of paper he could find, and so his ambitious art project began.

Within one week, Jun's walls started to come alive with paper dragons. The Blue-Eyes hung proudly over his bed; the Red-Eyes took refuge over his bureau; the Armed Dragon family guarded the doors of his closet; the Horus family gathered together behind Jun's doorway.

By the time the project was nearly completed, the boy had turned his room into a Sistine Chapel of dragons. In fact, Sam even assisted the boy by taping dragon pictures all across the ceiling.

"Make it look like they're all flying!" directed an excited Jun.

"Yes sir," smiled the humble butler.

It would be as Jun had imagined it all along; dragons, hundreds of then, all beckoning him to come and play with them in their world. They were here, at long last.

…Well, almost all of them. There were now 99 pictures all over the room, but one was missing.

Jun sat at the edge of his bed one morning, slowly skimming through his book on Duel Monsters, trying to find which dragon he had not included in his collection. Then at last, he found it near the end of the book itself. It was, in his eyes, the most beautiful dragon of all. Its left side was jet-black with a demonic and menacing wing; its right side however was all white with an angelic and loving wing. It was called…

"Light and Darkness Dragon," muttered the entranced child. "That's it. I must add it! I'll hang it right up here, next to Blue-Eyes. Then they'll become best friends!"

Once his plan was set, he was off to find the last piece of paper he would ever need.

But the time he took on drawing this final dragon took much longer than he had expected. He was a perfectionist in his art talents, and so one little mistake on the dragon's face or wings made him discard the piece and start from scratch again. He studied the look of that dragon from the book on Duel Monsters; it was the only source he had. Then finally, after several days of hard labor and dedication, the Light and Darkness Dragon settled in on that small, humble piece of paper.

The boy took a few minutes to praise himself for his hard work, for now he truly felt like a Manjyome- now he had ambition, and an art talent to be proud of. Surely, his grandmother would be proud to have such an artist in the family. He couldn't wait to show her.

Since Jun had worked on this piece in the gardens of his backyard, he would have to make a mad dash back to the house, through the dining room, and then through the living room, and scale not one but two levels of staircases, then with the last of his energy he dashed across the hallway- dodging maids in his path- until at last he came to his room.

He opened the door…

And stood there.

"……………"

His doorway was ivory again. His four walls were all royal blue again. His doorway, his closet doors, and his tall glass windows were all naked. And his ceiling was white once more, with a chandelier standing all alone.

All those dragons… Those magnificent drawings…

They were all gone.

"GRAM-A-A-A-A!"

With newfound strength in his small legs, Jun ran hysterically across the hallway again, down the two levels of staircases, and back into the living room where he once was. Then he paused to catch his breath; all that running made his head spin.

"Gra'ma! …Gra'ma, my dragons are gone! They're all gone!"

Not all of them were; he still had Light and Darkness Dragon held tightly in his little right hand.

Soon enough, the child's cries were answered by the elderly woman in a dark green gown. As always, Grandmother Manjyome dressed as though she were empress of Japan. Perhaps in her own mind, she was.

"Why, Jun!" she gasped. "What is all the commotion about? …My dear boy, why are you crying?"

There were, in fact, tears in the boy's eyes; he looked like a child lost in the wilderness. "Gra'ma," he gulped weakly, "…I… I had pictures of dragons in my room. They were all over the walls, the windows.. And now they're all gone…"

"I'm sorry," she blinked, looking confused. "Pictures of what?"

"My dragons, gra'ma. Didn't you see my dragons?"

Then it suddenly came to her. "Oh! …Oh, you mean those dreadful scribbles all over your room. Heh… I had them all thrown away."

"…you…what?" The child wasn't angry, nor was he sad. He was just completely stunned.

The old woman glared at him. "My boy, you really ought to take better care of your room. What would your parents say if they saw that mess?"

His tears crept up again. "They weren't scribbles, gra'ma… They were my drawings. I drew them for you… for everybody."

The old woman then balanced the boy gently, who was losing his composure by the second. "Come on now, straighten up lad. You don't want your parents to see you look so melancholy."

She gently wiped the tears off his face, doing her best to comfort him. But it was no use; she had already broken his heart, and the worst part of all was that she wouldn't even apologize for the hurt she had just caused.

"Now Jun," she said in a soft voice. "I know you're still young, but before you know it you're going to be a young man. I think it's about time you started to let go of these fantasies of yours and start focusing on the real world. We expect much of you, Jun. Don't you understand that?"

He sniffled, "…Y-yes, gra'ma… But-"

"That's enough now… You better go clean yourself up; your father is coming home tonight. Do try to be strong while he's here."

He bowed his head in submission. "Yes, gra'ma…"

Jun dragged himself back upstairs, across the hallway that would lead him to his room. It would be in there, his own private sanctuary, where he would be free to cry his eyes out.

But while he was still in the hallway, he had passed a dear friend, Sam.

"Master Jun?" purred the concerned old man. "I say, are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, Sam," muttered the child. There was something in the child's voice that didn't seem right; it sounded as if his very soul was taken from him, and what remained was an empty shell of a body.

Then Sam took a quick glance of what was in the child's weak grasp. "Sir, is that your hundredth dragon?"

"Yes."

"May I see it, sir?"

"Sure," muttered Jun monotonously. Then he let go of the paper, letting it float sadly onto the rugged floor.

Sam picked it up and smiled, "My, my. This must be the best one yet, young Master! Where shall I place it?"

Jun, who never slowed his pace on his way to his room, replied coldly, "Do whatever you want with it, Sam. It doesn't matter… It's just a stupid scribble."

Before Sam could respond, Jun had finally made it to his room, and the boy closed the door behind him.

That evening, the boy had a good cry in his bed indeed, just a few hours before his father arrived for dinner. The rest of the evening went fast; there was eating, brief talks of how great Manjyome's job was and how successful Grandmother's enterprise was, and then it was time for tea.

Jun, all the while, kept his promise to his grandmother that he would be a man and not show any signs of sadness in the presence of his father. In fact, the child showed no emotion at all. He barely even said a word. No one seemed to notice though.

That night, Jun- still grieving over his lost dragons- decided to turn in for bed quite early. He tried his hardest not to look at the naked walls, windows and doors as he dragged himself over to his master-sized bed. Then he buried himself under the velvet covers, keeping all sources of light from his eyes. Then at last, when his head met with his pillow, he allowed himself to have one last cry before finally falling asleep.

But it would not be a dreamless sleep, no. All through the night, the child could have sworn he heard singing. The strangest part was, it sounded like whale singing; the voice he heard was completely inhuman. He thought he had lost his mind; whales, on land? Ridiculous! How could that be?

But he did hear something singing. It sounded like it was… calling to him.

As if under a spell, Jun had crawled out of his oversized bed and slowly walked to the door, and upon opening it, he could see it was dark in the hallway.

Nighttime had come at last, and it seemed as though the entire household was slumbering. But here in the hallway, the soft, haunting sound of a beautiful song was growing ever stronger. He followed it; frightened as he was, he was also very curious.

While stalking downward the two levels of staircases, he could hear the voice of whatever-it-was getting louder. By now the child had convinced himself that this was all just a dream… But was it?

No, indeed not; as soon as his bare feet touched the cold wooden floor of the living room, his senses told him that he was indeed not dreaming. This singing was for real. Jun whimpered, wondering to himself if he should go back upstairs and hide in his room.

But then suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. "Master Jun…"

The child clung onto the banister of the staircase as he saw his old friend Sam walking into the living room, holding in one hand a lit candelabra, and tightly hidden under his other arm was a book. The Duel Monsters guide book.

"S-Sam?" muttered the frightened boy. "…Do you hear it?"

Sam paused in wonder. "Hear what, sir?"

"The singing," whispered the child. "Can you hear it? …It sounds like a whale."

"…A whale, sir?" puzzled Sam. "I thought if you could hear anything singing, it'd not be a whale, but a dragon."

"No Sam," shook the boy's head. "Dragon's don't exist, remember?"

"Pff," responded the old man. "That's what your grandmother thinks… But I know they do."

Then the kindly butler placed both the candelabra and the booklet on Duel Monsters onto the coffee table that sat proudly the couch. Curious, Jun crept from the staircase to the center, where Sam stood.

"What do you mean, Sam?"

Sam took to one knee to reach the boy's level. "Master Jun, I've heard about what happened to your dragon pictures. I know your grandmother wants you to give up your dreams, but what she has done to you is most unfair. You're just a boy, Jun… You should feel free to dream about whatever you want. And, if you truly want dragons in your life, well… I'm obliged to help."

Then the kindly old butler opened the big book on Duel Monsters on his charge's behalf. And there, Jun looked on. To his surprise, it was a Light and Darkness Dragon…

Not the one in the book.

Not the one Jun himself drew.

It was the real thing, the Duel Monster card. The one and only Light and Darkness Dragon.

As soon as Jun saw it for the first time, those songs that were haunting him just moments before had stopped. He had come to the source of the singing at last. But he didn't notice that; he was now drowned in surprise and boundless joy. For at long last… he had a Duel Monster.

The boy's reaction to this rare and wonderful card was something that Sam was not prepared for; tears started to fall from the boy's eyes, and he started sniveling like a lost child again.

"Sir!" frowned Sam. "Are you alright? …Oh no, did I get you the wrong card, young Master? I tried to find the one that matched your drawing. If I was wrong, I'm so-"

"Sam!" exclaimed the boy as he suddenly gave the old man a tight squeeze with his tiny arms. Then Sam realized that those were not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

"Aw Sam," sniffled the boy as he cried on his servant's shoulder. "You didn't have to do this, you really didn't…"

"Sir," smiled the old man warmly, "it's my job to keep you happy."

"…Nobody around here understands me like you do, Sam." Jun spoke the plain truth. "Sometimes I feel like… Like you're the only one that really cares."

"Now, sir…" Sam started to say as he gently patted the boy's back. "Your family loves you, no matter what. And to prove it, I'm going to confront your grandmother as soon as I can. I'm going to tell her in these exact words: 'Madam, your grandson has his ambitions already planned out. He's going to be a Duelist.' Then of course I'll have to explain to her what it means to be a duelist, and then I'll say, 'Jun is going to be a professional duelist when he grows up, and he is going to be the very best. I know this because he's going to have with him the best dragons in all of Duel Monsters.' Once she finally understands this, sir, then she will let you have your dream."

Jun sniffled again and dried his eyes. "…You really mean it, Sam? You're gonna help me be a great duelist?"

"Of course I will, sir. I am always at your service."

Then Jun gave him a smile- not just any smile, a loving smile. He knew at that moment that he had a true friend.

"You're the best, Sam."

"Why thank you, sir."

Then Jun gave his friend a warm, loving hug; the kind of hug only a son could give to his father.

And so together, the boy and his surrogate father picked up the book and the Duel Monster, and placed them both on the boy's bedroom bureau. Then they said their goodnights and parted ways.

Jun snuggled himself back into his bed, knowing that the rest of this night would go on peacefully. And to help him sleep, the Light and Darkness Dragon sang a beautiful, soft lullaby.

Jun knew at last that he had found his soul mate, and he was no longer afraid of its singing. He would sleep soundly that night, dreaming of the 99 other dragons he would meet once again… in the dueling arenas of the future.

END


End file.
